A snowy memory amid a three-way struggle
Odin was silent as he sat upon his throne, staring intently at his son.
Today had been a good day for the Allfather. Thor succeeded in reconnecting with Nidavillir, a great feast was held, and he managed to slip off to the pubs with Azazel and enjoy eyeing up those beautiful waitresses. His lewd adventure would have continued in his personal bed chamber with Freya, had a disturbance not interrupted him. A loud scream followed by the roar of thunder echoed through the palace. Odin rushed to Thor's chamber blasting the door off its hinges with Gungnir in hand ready to kill whoever would try to hurt his son. Instead, he saw his son sitting up panting heavily, wide-eyed, and covered in sweat.
Twenty minutes later the family was in the throne room to see if Vili knew what was wrong with Thor. The headmaster's hands hovered above Thor's head as a green glow emanating from them. The younger brother of Odin wasn't just the headmaster of Valhalla but also a renowned doctor who saved many lives throughout the Realms.
"Well?" Said Freya.
"Physically there is nothing wrong with him. There isn't any illness or punctured organs. He may have a mental issue. A bad dream perhaps."
"No." Thor suddenly said, "A memory."
Odin leaned forward to know what he remembered, "What happened, Thor?"
Thor shut his eyes, inhaled deeply, and spoke.
Flashback
Thor sat upon a bench with his hands cuffed and mouth covered. The sound of a car engine hummed all around as he felt the impact of a bump in the road. He glared hatefully at the other passengers who sat in the trunk with him. Eight people in total; five adults armed with rifles and three teenagers, all wearing robes and a cross around their neck.
The teenagers, who were Italian by the sound of the accents they had when speaking, stared at him curiously, their faces etched into Thor's memory. The first had spiky blonde hair and golden eyes, the second, who was scowling, had wavy auburn hair and mismatching eyes, one green the other blue, and the last one had wild brown hair and a thick black braid hanging down his right shoulder, and matching brown eyes. He was the tallest of the three and very muscular, which gave the impression that he could be a professional wrestler.
The teenagers, who were Italian by the sound of the accents they had when speaking, stared at him curiously, their faces etched into Thor's memory. The first had spiky blonde hair and golden eyes. She second, who was scowling, had wavy auburn hair and green eyes. The last one was the tallest and very muscular, which gave the impression that he could be a professional wrestler. His brown hair was wild and a thick black braid hung down his right shoulder and mismatching eyes, one green the other blue.
However, these three teenagers weren't normal. They, like the adults, are Exorcists, elite Exorcists. Nero Raimondi, Commodus Ferrari, and Augustus Lastra, the Holy Emperor Trio.
The silence was broken by the gruff commanding voice of Commodus, "Why are we here?"
"To help us safeguard him." The captain of the Exorcist squad answered, motioning towards Thor who glared at him.
"Why? Who is he? What's so important about him?" Commodus asked again, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "What are you hiding from the Vatican?"
Before an answer could be given there was a loud bang followed by the trunk suddenly tipping over. Everyone was sent bouncing around the car compartment, Thor's brain was rattled like money in a jar. His groan of pain being muffled by the tape over his mouth. What the hell could have knocked over an armored car? The answer was given when the back doors were ripped off its hinges.
He saw a woman step inside wearing a skintight battle suit that showed her voluptuous figure. Her short brown hair was a mess and her green eyes had a look of curiosity in them. On her back… was a pair of bat wings.
Oh no...She was a Devil and that meant she was here to take him!
Thor tried to move but his head wouldn't stop spinning. The impact against his head was worse than he imagined. He always heard how they took humans as slaves and treated them horribly. He couldn't let him be their servant or return to the Church. Perhaps he could escape if given the chance and if he did he could get away from the supernatural and live a quiet life.
He felt himself being grabbed by the Devil and dragged outside while his captives were still trying to regain their sense. He squinted as the light hit his eyes, it was so blinding after being in that dimly lit trunk. After blinking a few times he saw he was surrounded by more people, more Devils.
There was another woman, who was very voluptuous, wavy shoulder-length blonde hair, and wearing a short dress which was the same color as her ruby-red eyes. Beside her were twin girls his age with black hair and blue eyes dressed in opposite-colored jumpsuits, purple and yellow. Towering over them was a muscular, bald, black man brandishing brass-knuckles. On the far left was another large man wearing no shirt leaving his tattoos and muscles to be visible. In his hand was a large two-handed curved sword that could cut a person in two.
The last three men were all skinny and wearing different clothes. A black-haired mismatching green and violet-eyed Chinese in golden robes. A grey one-eyed blue-haired Mohawk and beard warrior holding a morning-star. The last man had neatly combed auburn hair, a matching beard, narrow violet eyes, and dressed in a white suit.
He counted eight Devils gathered around him, which means there were still many positions he could fill for this Peerage. Once the King spoke to him perhaps he or she could answer how they were able to find him. Father Maxwell said nobody knew about his existence save for those who put him through those vigorous tests. Soon Thor's answer on who the king was was answered as the suit-wearing Devil stepped forward.
He stared down at Thor for a good long moment before motioning to the woman holding him to remove his binds. First came the mouth cover then the cuffs which she snapped with easy. Once free, he spoke with a confident smirk.
"My name is Mortis Sabnock, son of Lord Sabnock. I would introduce you to the rest of my servants but that can wait after I bring you back to the Underworld. Victoria pre-"
Before he could finish his sentence gunshots rang out from behind causing the Devils to scatter. A small army of Exorcist came rushing down the road firing at the supernatural beings. Bullets whizzed through the air towards the Devils, however, they either missed or were stopped by magic barriers. Even though no damage was being inflicted the Exorcist persisted in trying to fend off these intruders. When the rifles ran out of ammo they were thrown for a light sword and pistol.
Thor was certain that these men and women were no match for these Devils, they needed the Holy Emperor Trio to defeat the Sabnock Peerage. Not that it mattered to him because this skirmish now gave him the opportunity to escape! Rising to his feet and rotating his wrists to get the feeling back in his hands he ran into the forest refusing to look back on how the battle was going or who was following him. He had to get out of here as fast as possible and when he did he could go into hiding and find a nice place to settle down in.
On and on he ran, the sound of battles growing fainted by the second. He paused in his escape for freedom and leaned against a large tree for rest. The only sound he could hear now was of his heart pounding a thousand miles-per-hour within his chest as he panted for air. He looked around and realized there was snow blanketing the ground. Had it started to snow before the battle or after another day of vigorous training the Church put him through?
It didn't matter now, he had to escape. He would go into hiding and settle down but would that work? The Church had agents everywhere and he may not get far if an Exorcist, or Devil, or some other supernatural being found him.
Well...so long as it was Asgard who found him.
His training had required him to study about the Norse Faction and the more he learned about them, about himself, he wished every day for a Valkyrie to come take him to the halls of Odin. To feast, and drink, and fight, and…
"...and seek revenge on those who wronged me!" He whispered under his breath, fists clenching in anger.
Feeling his heart slow it's beat he readying himself for another sprint through the forest. This time he would put double the effort into it. He would run until his legs could no longer work. If it meant reaching freedom then so be it.
"Thought you could get away eh handsome?"
Thor had no time to react as one of the Sabnock Devils, the voluptuous one, grabbed him by the throat and flew into the air.
Thor cursed himself for his carelessness. Had he been more aware of his surroundings he wouldn't have ended up back in the grasp of the Devil's again which he struggled to break free of. Try as he might, the woman's strength was stronger than she looked. Either she was a Rook or the Queen, whichever it was, her grip on him was powerful.
"Good work Victoria!"
The dark-skinned Devil soon joined them with smoke trailing from his left arm, a sign that he was wounded by a holy weapon.
"Hurry! Make the teleportation to the Underworld before-"
"Clayton, behind you!"
The warning came just in time for him to jump out of the way of a flying kick by Commodus. The blue-haired Exorcist skidded to a halt, eyes narrow in annoyance. Following behind were Nero and Augustus. The Devil's and Exorcist stared each other down waiting for who would make the next move.
"I would advise you to back off!" Victoria ordered, applying pressure to Thor's neck and holding him out to shield herself.
"You vile creatures! Taking a human as a hostage! You truly are spawns of evil!" Augustus yelled.
"If it means getting the Holy Emperor Trio to back off, then we will do whatever it takes to survive!"
"That gives us more of a reason to kill you." Commodus spat, ready to rush forward.
"Now, now, Commodus. You wouldn't wish to harm your precious secret test subject would you?"
Mortis and the rest of his Peerage made their presence known, surrounding the three Exorcists. They must have defeated the other Exorcist but not without sustaining minor wounds by the state they were in. Despite the injuries, they were still confident they could win. It was eight against three but numbers do not always win a battle.
"Nero Raimondi, Commodus Ferrari, and Augustus Lastra. The Holy Emperor Trio. I have heard about you and the teamwork you possess. If you're here to protect Project Thunderbolt then this boy must be important."
"How do you know that?"Asked Nero.
"Your friends you left behind to stall us cracked and told us the name. Who the boy's name was...well will figure it out when we bring him back to the Underworld."
"I think not."
Thor, along with the Devils and Exorcists looked up at the voice from above. High in the treetops was a handsome man with black hair tied back in a ponytail. He wore silk robes that matched his eyes, which were violet, and filled with arrogance. From his back were four black angel wings.
A Cadre...a fucking high tier Fallen Angel was here!? And he wasn't alone…six single-winged Fallen Angels floated with him.
"Fallen Angels!? Why are you here!?"
"Mortis Sabnock...a pleasure to meet you." The Cadre smirked gleefully at the Devil before shifting his gaze to the Exorcist. "And to answer your question. Well, our agents within the Church have told us about this little project. Tsk. Tsk. Still stealing from other Factions and using the Excalibur Projects idea. Whenever will you learn? Oh right, never!" His laughter echoed through the forest for a long time before continuing, "Well I won't allow either of you to have this boy. It will be I who delivers him to Azazel as a gift to use against you fools."
"Only in your dreams, crow!" Augustus yelled back while drawing his pistols and taking aim at the Cadre. His action prompted the lower-ranked Fallen to float in front of the Cadre and call forth weapons of light, spears, swords, and axes.
As Thor looked between the three groups he felt Victoria tighten her grip around him and retreat back towards the house. This wasn't good...he was about to get caught up in a three-way battle for him.
"What happens if you fail?" Mortis asked.
A sinister smile spread across the Cadre's face. "Then I will kill him."
"Victoria, get him out of here!" Mortis ordered, unleashing magic bullets at the Exorcists. His attack was answered by the Cadre raining spears down upon him. The twins countered the spears with a layered barrier defense above their master.
Mortis' spell forced the Exorcists to scatter! As Augustus unloaded his holy bullets on the Fallen Angels, Commodus disappeared briefly before reappearing in front of Thor! At the same moment, however, the large Devil carrying the sword appeared in his way.
Thor watched the Devil and Exorcist begin exchanging blows as Victoria tightened her grip on him and gained distance from the fighters, Sword against fists, each trying to get a hit on each other.
The speed displayed by the Devil was proof that he was a Knight, along with the sword. The Exorcist, on the other hand, wouldn't be able to keep up with him unless he had a Sacred Gear.
Did all three Exorcists have Sacred Gears? Is that why they were able to go toe to toe with these crows and bats?
As Commodus dodged a strike for his head, the twin Devils fired a water and lightning spell at his unprotected back. It would have hit if not for Nero jumping in the way to take the attacks. To their surprise, and Thor's, Nero was unharmed. There was a faint glow emitting from the blonde.
Before either could understand what just happened, the sound of screams filled the air. Thor watched the red-eyed blonde and military dressed Devils getting cut to pieces by one of the four-winged Fallen, their blood reddening the white snow. The first two casualties of the battle...how unfortunate for Mortis.
Before she could gloat over her victory, she was blindsided by the one-eyed Devil with the blue Mohawk. Grabbing her skull, he squeezed and crushed it like it was a soda can.
"A Rook… best be careful around him," Though Thor, watching a three-way fight between Augustus, the six-winged Fallen, and the Chinese robed Devil. Bullet, spells, and light spears flew everywhere, neither were winning nor losing against the other. It was evenly matched unless someone else from either side joined in.
Another scream caught Thor's attention. This time by three Fallen Angels getting vaporized by Mortis' spells.
"Don't worry, handsome." Victoria said while landing away from the battle and preparing a teleportation circle, "The life of a Devil won't be that bad. You'll be able to live a longer life, obtain incredible powers, and be able to fly and-"
Thor threw his head back, slamming his noggin into Victoria's face. The surprise attack caused the Devil to loosen her grip, allowing the red-head to break free. Not wanting to get recaptured, he turned to face her and delivered an uppercut so powerful it sent her flying into the trees.
His sudden reaction put a pause in the fight. He looked around the battlefield to count how many combatants are here. There were three Exorcists, three Fallen Angels, and seven Devils...that meant he would be fighting thirteen people. Thirteen people would not only be fighting each other but him as well. He would have to defend himself while making a run for it. He couldn't take them all on by himself, especially that Cadre and Sabnock, their powers were higher than his. The Exorcist, low-tire Devils and Fallen, could be possible to defeat, only if he can fight them one on one.
The moment he stepped away, Commodus and the Cadre came at him at speeds faster than a cheetah. Spears rained down upon the blue-haired Exorcists but he weaved his way through the attacks like a mouse in a maze. Thor wasted no time in diving to the left to avoid Commodus' outstretched hand. He quickly rolled back to his feet before Nero's glowing fist impacted against the ground forming a tiny crater from the attack. The second punch also missed and hit a tree instead, shattering the trunk like it was nothing and sending one of mother's nature's greatest creations crashing to the ground while wood and bark flew in all directions.
Ignoring the falling tree and splinters, Thor attacked Nero. Instead of giving him a punch to the face as planned, he was blindsided by Commodus kneeing him in the side and sending him rolling across the dirt.
"My Sacred Gear, Speedy Saint, allows me to run fast. Very fast. As for my Balance breaker, I call it Speedy Saint Supersonic. This grant's me speed to keep up with High-Class Devils and Cadre Fallen Angels. When combined with Nero's Sacred Gear, Sturdy Saint, which allows his defense to get stronger with each hit, we are unbeatable!"
"So that explained why he's able to keep up with them." Thor thought as he jumped back to his feet again and spat blood out of his mouth. One attacks the other defends. That truly made them a deadly duo. But what about Augustus? What was so special about him? Did he have a Sacred Gear too or just a Roman Emperor's name? Probably the latter since he was using pistols.
As Thor pulled himself back onto his feet, he saw Victoria, the one-eyed, and Chinese Devils come at him. Their path was quickly blocked by the remaining Fallen. Their efforts, however, were futile. It was like watching a boulder crash through a wall. Thor readied himself for the trio but was saved from it by Augustus unloading his pistols onto them.
Victoria and the Chinese Devil, which he heard her call Qin Shen, erected a barrier to protect them while the Rook kept changing, tanking the bullets. He lunged forward, arm thrown forward to crush Augustus but instead was greeted by Nero and his glowing fist. The two fists collided and would have canceled each other out if Nero wasn't emitting Holy energy. The light power burned the Rook's fist but didn't stop him from sending his other fist into the Exorcist gut which sent him flying through a tree.
Thor surveyed the battlefield. It was obvious the Fallen Angel's would be the first to lose since only the Cadre remained. The black-winged Angels were the most hated species out of all races. It was rare but even Devils and Exorcists would work together to kill a crow. Speaking of the Devil's, Mortis Peerage wasn't unharmed in this fight. Out of the eight Devils who appeared, only five remained. Who would fall next would be anyone's question, one of the Devil's, the Cadre, or perhaps one of the Exorcists? The latter was very unlikely, those three humans had next to no wounds on them due to the powers of their Gears, skills, and teamwork. In fact, they may win this, which means he would go back to the Church. Unless he escapes or defeats them, the former being the only choice since he was outnumbered and out skilled.
Suddenly, Commodus appeared in front of him. The Exorcist forced Thor to go through a series of blocks and dodges while also trying to find a clear path into the forest. Each strike he blocked hurt, it was like hitting a steel door or thick rock. As he blocked a kick, he was too slow to block the uppercut. He felt blood and bile spit out his mouth as he went flying into the air. If Commodus was aiming to kill he could have easily cracked his jaw, but the Exorcists were trying to recapture him. Nevertheless, that guy hit hard. Twice his attacks left him in excruciating pain and this one sent him into the air.
As gravity pulled him back to earth, he, unfortunately, was caught in the tight grip of the Cadre Fallen Angel.
"Gotcha!" The Cadre exclaimed.
Thor tried to breathe and pry himself free but his body ached from the pain suffered from the fighting. He had tried to escape on his own...hoped that he would be able to live out the rest of his life away from the Supernatural world. Away from the Church and its followers but it seemed God from the Bible prevented such a dream now. They - the Three factions - had fought over him like children over candy. From Exorcist now Fallen Angels. Was he going to become their weapon now?
NO! I refuse to be anybody's weapon!
"Stop him!" Nero, jumped as high as his muscles would let him to prevent the Fallen from taking Thor. If he succeeded their mission would fail, they needed to get him back!
"Don't worry, boy. I'll make sure you're treated fairly in Grigori. It would be a shame to let the Devils take you as a slave so-" He was interrupted by the red-haired boy grabbing his wrist and squeeze as hard as he could. The Cadre felt an eerie cracking sound from his wrist, it was broken. Before he could teleport away or switch hands, a right hook was sent to the face that he swore had electricity dancing around it.
"You will not escape! The Lord will see that we succeed in our mission to bring you back to your home!" Commodus declared, zooming forward, dodging magic spells by the Sabnock Peerage with ease, his mindset on subduing the redhead. The distance was closed in seconds and threw a punch forward. The confident smirk was wiped away when he saw his fist be caught in Thor's hand.
Thor growled and punched Commodus square in the face, sending the speeders rolling across the dirt. From the corner of his eye, he saw Mortis, gathering his Peerage, dead and alive, before retreating. Now he could focus on the Exorcist who rushed him. They were trying to divide his attention by attacking both sides. He answered their tag team attack with an earth-shattering stomp, sending Nero tumbling to the ground.
He then charged Augustus, the Exorcist bullets bouncing off him harmlessly. Was there nothing special about this guy, did he really have no Sacred Gear? How pathetic and foolish. Augustus only lasted this long because he had his teammates to back him up. Swiping his hand faster than Augustus could react, he knocked his guns from his hands and pulled him into a headlock.
"Pray all you want. Your God won't save you." With that, he twisted Augustus' head roughly and threw the corpse to the floor.
"Bastard!"
Thor parried Nero's punch and countered with a knee strike and left hook. If Sturdy Saint wasn't activated, those strikes would have broken Nero like a toothpick. However, Sturdy Saint didn't stop Thor from unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks. With each strike his anger grew.
He hated the Church!
He hated its followers!
He hated their religion!
His next punch was intercepted by Commodus tackling him. Thor shoved him off and tried to elbow him but missed. Instead, he crossed his arms over his face to protect against the axe kick sent by the blue-haired man. The following kick to his gut sent him rolling toward a fallen tree. Thor stumbled to his feet, planting a hand upon the trunk for balance.
"I'll make you pay for killing him!" Commodus yelled furiously and charged the thunder user.
Thor responded by grabbing the tree trunk and swinging it with all his might at the speedster. Commodus, however, jumped on the tree and continued his charge forcing Thor to release the tree to sidestep a flying punch then blocked a flash kick. His counterpunch connected to Commodus' head, blood was flowing out of the wound and Thor was sure he had heard his skull crack. It was obviously the attack dazed him which gave Thor a chance to finish him.
Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion flowed through Thor. He knew immediately what was happening; he overused his powers and its toll was taking effect. Still, he showed those Exorcists why they shouldn't have come and messed with him. Before he could take a step forward, Thor dropped to his knees, his strength slipping away. As he slumped to the ground his vision started to become hazy. Soon all was black before hitting the snow.
Present day
"After blacking out I awoke back in my room."
"And the Cadre?" Freya asked, wondering what became of him.
"Dead. They say my punch broke his face and the impact finished him off."
Freya shared a look with Odin who hummed in thought as he stroked his beard. The Fallen Angel said they had spies within the Church, however, those Exorcist Thor mentioned knew nothing about this Project Thunderbolt. Azazel had been surprised when learning about Thor's death. Could he have been faking that reaction, had he already known about this? The Governor-General of the Grigori was a cunning fellow and unpredictable about many things. Freya's eyes narrowed dangerously, if Azazel knew about this all along and kept it secret from them there would be severe consequences.
"Well, brother, what should we do?" Vili asked.
Odin stared at Thor as if he was a puzzle. For the God of Knowledge, he was clueless about this boy's past. However, this three-way struggle had revealed some valuable information regarding his past. Information he would ask when speaking to Azazel. For now, they had to wait for more memories to resurface.
"We return to our chambers and wait for the sun to rise the next day."
"That's it!?" Thor shouted as he jumped to his feet, knocking the chair over. "We can't ignore this!"
"And we won't." Freya said calmly, hiding her anger until only she and Odin were alone, "Tomorrow Azazel is attending a meeting and there I shall learn the answers you seek. Be patient."
With that the royal family returned to their beds, hoping the Fallen Angel's leader would talk.
Norway
"Welcome home, Rose!"
Rossweisse embraced her grandma in a warm hug. Today Freya allowed her the day off which let her go visit Gondul in the countryside. She missed her greatly but knew her duties came first and foremost. At least she had all day to spend with her.
"How are you, my sweet granddaughter?" The elderly Asgardian asked kindly, "I see you've grown a lot in the last years, magically and physically."
Rossweisse blushed. Of course, her grandma would mention her physical growth. Nevertheless, she answered with a kind smile, "Life as the Allfather's bodyguard is well. I should apologize for not being able to tell you this sooner but we have obtained a new Asgardian. Or rather...quite possibly the reincarnation of Thor."
Gondul spat the tea she was sipping on all over the tabletop. Her whole body shook and her eyes looked as if they would pop out of her head. The reincarnation of the God of Thunder!? Impossible! He died and didn't have any children to carry on his name or blood. Unless he had slept with a mortal before his death.
Or perhaps his spirit was inherited by a human.
She had heard stories about the spirits of long-dead heroes inheriting humans and becoming the next hero, like Hercules, Oda Nobunaga, Arthur Pendragon, Julius Caesar, and many more. But these were humans, not Gods. Could a God's spirit do the same? Could a human inherit the spirit of a God and control its power? She had to meet this boy to know if it was true!
"Rose tell me everything you know about this boy."
The question asked by the master magician had Rossweisse go on a long explanation about Thor. How they found him, what he knew about his past, joining Asgard, learning to use his power, and helping protect the realm. All the while Gondul listened intently, her heart swelled with pity for the boy. First, they defile their hero Siegfried with clones, now they tried training a boy said to be the God of Thunder as a weapon?
Disgraceful.
Disgusting.
Despicable.
Siegfried, Surtr, and Beowulf were stolen by the Biblical Faction. They are thieves. Taking what doesn't belong to them to be used in their stalemate because they are desperate to be the dominating species of their Faction.
What piqued her interest was how they found him. He was the only survivor of a destroyed building, which had obviously belonged to the Church. Meaning its destruction could only have been caused by this boy and got amnesia from it collapsing on him. If he regains his memories maybe he can remember how the Church found him and if he had parents before being adopted by the Allfather.
When she heard Rossweisse was helping Thor learn magic, Gondul couldn't hide her smile. Her little Rose had accomplished so much throughout her life. Graduating college at a young age, becoming the Allfather's bodyguard, and now helping the new Thor. The pride for her granddaughter burned hotter than the fires of Muspelheim.
"Yesterday I made him his first braid and before I came to visit you I heard he regained a memory."
"The first of many we hope Fate lets him recall." Gondul said before turning serious, "But more important, Rose, have you asked him out on a date?"
Rossweisse blushed like a tomato. Oh, why did she ask such a thing!? This was exactly why she didn't want Thor to meet her grandma! She'd jump at the opportunity to pair them up.
Gondul laughed, "By the look on your face I can tell you haven't done so yet. Oh, my silly Rose. I know you believe duty comes first but if you want to get a boyfriend you must do what I suggested. Flirt and tease this boy.."
"G-grandmother! He's the Allfather's son!"
"So?"
"S-so I can't do such a thing like that with a son of the Royal Family!"
"Nonsense." Gondul said haughty, "He sounds like a good man to have as a boyfriend. Strong, kind, brave, handsome."
"Noble."
"What?"
"Nothing!"
"Rossweisse."
Gondul never called her by her full name unless she wanted to know something important and hearing her granddaughter call Thor brave was important.
Rossweisse anxiously shifted in her seat. She shouldn't have said that and now her grandma would know of the fight she had started. With reddening cheeks, she went into detail about the Einherjar named Andrew insulting her and attempted attack before Thor intervened and accepted his challenge to defend her, and then about the duel and the God of Thunder's victory. By the time she had finished Gondul had a look in her eye. A look that doubled Rossweisse's anxiety.
"So…" Gondul said leaning forward, "my granddaughter was responsible for a fight between the God of Thunder and an Einherjar. It looks like my Rose has finally found herself a hero who just so happens to be the Allfather's son. If he has all these traits about him then he is without a doubt boyfriend material."
"Grandma…"
"Perhaps one of these days I will pay a long-awaited visit to Asgard. "
"Grandma!"
Asgards Gates
"Heimdall."
"Hm?"
"What are your thoughts on Devils?"
Asgard's watcher turned to Thor at being asked the question. The son of Odin had come to the Bifrost to socialize with the all-seeing watcher. This did not distract Heimdall from his duties but wished it had been while he was off work. Even he needed a break once in a while.
"They are ambitious, greedy, and desperate for power."
Thor cocked his head to the side at his words, "Do you really think of them that way? It sounds like you hate them like the rest of Asgard."
Thor had heard many people within the great dining hall speaking illy of the Devil's after a recent event occurred in Germany a few days ago. Apparently, a Stray Devil had taken up residents somewhere in the southern region of Norway and went on a killing spree. The Devil's did not dispatch a hit squad to eliminate it since he crossed the board into the Norse Faction. So Brynhildr was sent to deal with the problem. Of course, this added fuel to the flames of resentment Asgard had towards the Underworld.
"This may be our territory but it's their responsibility."
"Personally, I think those new Satan's are doing a terrible job at running the Underworld."
Those were some of the things Thor remembered hearing during the feast.
"I do not hate them. I am merely giving my opinion of them. Devils are literally the spawn of the seven deadly sins; pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth. Those are what Devil's represent. Sure there may be some good-hearted Devils but they are still filled with one of the seven sins. Take the Gremory's for example, they are friendly people and peace-loving but they are lustful for power. You're lucky the Devil's didn't get you, otherwise, you would have been a slave for them to use. We are not like them. We do not live like hierarchies. We are a kingdom ruled by our justly king and queen. All are equal here, warriors and civilians alike."
Thor nodded. He heard about Devil society, how the Purebloods look down on the reincarnated. It sickened him they hadn't changed their ways under the new Satans. With the power, they have they could have enforced change so all were equal, just like Asgard.
"But Heimdall, you forget we are Gods. Devils can't make Gods into Devils. Gods are some of the strongest beings."
"Are we?" Said a new voice in a wisely tone
Thor looked to see Odin join them on the Bifrost.
"To the humans of the Biblical Faction, God is the creator and ruler of the universe and source of all moral authority; the Supreme Being. To the other religions, like ours, Shinto, and Hinduism, Gods are superhuman beings or spirits worshiped as having power over nature or human fortunes; a deity. But what it really means to be a "God" is to have world destructive power. Susanoo, Aten, Zeus, myself, and many more are called "God's" for our near-infinite powers. Yet even we who have the power to destroy the world can get exhausted and die if fighting an equal or stronger opponent. I say we are not God's, but beings with mystic powers who are born, live, and die, just as humans do."
Odin was right. They were just like mortals, they lived and died. The Original Thor, Surtr, and many more Gods died. Except in the Supernatural world, and if you are lucky you might get a second or multiple chances to live again.
"Allfather, do you think peace can truly be achieved?"
"It's hard to say. Some want peace but those who do are small in number. Everyone hates one another. Including our allies. I have seen and heard some Fallen saying they don't need Asgard's help. That they are the superior race."
Heimdall snorted, "What a bunch of fools. They are in fact the weakest race for their arrogance."
"Your right, Heimdall, and with so few in numbers the Black Angels will cease to exist. When their race will go extinct is unsure. Maybe a year or two if more keep going rogue." Odin said with a shake of the head.
This alliance between Grigori and Asgard was to strengthen relations and work together towards peace but war and violence still flowed through both factions. He may hate the Devil's for creating that abomination Surtr Second, but he had no desire to go to war. The Allfather of Asgard had seen war too often in his youth, the first being the Aesir-Jotun War, then the infamous Aesir-Vanir War, the War between the Dwarves and Elves, The War of the Dwarves and Elves, followed shortly after by the War of Light and Dark, commonly called the Elven Civil War, and many more. The mythological wars weren't the only one's Odin watched, but the human wars as well. He saw kingdoms rise and fall, Republic's and Empire's be split in two, revolutions, civil wars, conquests, invasions, the World Wars, Odin saw it all.
Humanity and the Supernatural world are alike in so many ways. Both will destroy themselves if they do not set aside their petty differences.
"That is why Azazel needs our help to quell this problem. We help solve this issue peacefully, we can show the rest of the world peace can be made."
Odin laughed at his son's words, "You mean peace between the Biblical Faction. Every mythological group stays out of each other's affairs, Thor. A Buddhist and Christian have never worked together unless it's in a Devil Peerage."
"And now is the time to show that other religions can work together outside of serving a Devil. It's time to show we can strive for the same goal; peace."
Odin grinned at his son. The boy spoke of peace but if he wants it then he too must accept working with the people who destroyed his life. He could see the hatred for the Church still stirred in his heart. He had to overcome this problem like Asgard must do the same to Devils.
"That won't be easy. It may take centuries to complete. However, a new age is coming and maybe...just maybe peace between all Factions can be achieved."
Palace
The meeting was over and Azazel would have left with the others save for the Allmother ordering him to stay, needing to have a private word with him. She started off with the good news about Thor regaining a memory of his past but it quickly went south when saying his people were involved in a three-way battle over the God of Thunder and that spies within the Church told the Fallen Angels about Operation Thunderbolt, the cliche name for the project they put Thor through. It didn't take a genius, which Azazel was, to realize why Freya was speaking to him; she wanted to know if he knew about this all along and kept it a secret.
"And you truly believe I knew of this?" Azazel asked, his face having a rare stoic expression.
"Why shouldn't you? You're Fallen Angels who were in my son's memory confirmed you have spies within the Church. Spies who were able to discover the secret to this Operation Thunderbolt that some in the Church don't know about. Do you deny it?"
"Lady Freya, I did not know of his existence till now. Trust me, I was surprised to hear of your son's sacrifice and the discovery of this new Thor. However, to stave your wrath towards me, I admit I did have spies in the Church but they were discovered. The last information I received was that the Church was working on a secret project in the North. A secret even the Vatican was somehow not aware of. What its name was I did not know until you said it just now. I believe this Operation Thunderbolt must have been their attempt at creating a new God of Thunder just as they have been doing with Siegfried. As for my Fallen Angels you mention, I sent them to gather information, not try kidnapping Thor. Turail had other ideas I wasn't aware of and got himself and his whole team killed.
But Freya did not look convinced. She sat there staring at the Governor-General intensely. She was no Hindu God so she couldn't read his mind. She could, however, see they would still be working together. Could he be really telling her the truth or was this a big fat lie he came up with on the sport? Azazel had great knowledge and if he knew of Thor before Odin he may be smarter than the God of Knowledge.
"You clearly have doubts about what I say. So I'll tell you this; if Turail had brought him to me then I would have brought him to Asgard so he can be with his people. With his parents."
Freya's green eyes still stared at Azazel before her shoulder slumped and sighed. There was no lie in Azazel's voice. He would wholeheartedly have done what he said, he knew she missed her son dearly and would have wanted him back. Now she did, even if he wasn't the real Thor.
"Very well. I believe you. However, this news of what the Church planned is disturbing. First that holy sword project then the cloning of Sigfried and now this. Is the Church so desperate to use other Factions to gain an advantage against the Devils? Why hasn't God of Heaven done something about it and how could such a thing happen if Thor is dead? Acquiring his DNA would be impossible since he's dead and he never spoke to anyone outside of the Norse Faction so cloning is out of the question."
"I don't have the answers to those questions, Lady Freya, only theories." Said Azazel with a shake of the head, "But what about offsprings? Did he have any children?"
"He had none and even if he had children Odin would have known about them immediately. Thor would never abandon a child, he loved children and would occasionally be there for a birth when he wasn't off fighting Jotun. Since your spies were discovered we don't have answers but more questions. All we can do is hope Thor will regain more memories. Now go, Azazel. Go help Odin lead our people to peace. But I forbid you to speak of this to ANYONE, especially my Thor. He doesn't need to learn about this yet, not until he has regained more memories and quelled the anger he has towards the Church."
Azazel nodded as he felt relief wash over him. He would not lie to the Allmother unless he wished to feel the wrath she was known for in the war. He may be a Faction leader but he couldn't defeat the Goddesses of Fertility and Love. Besides, his interests were in Sacred Gears, not Gods. Speaking of which, he needed to send someone to observe that boy in Japan. That Fallen Angel who keeps fantasizing about him can do it if she's subtle.